START YOUR WEEK WITH THE COACH
“Values, they affect everything you and your team do every day.”
“If an opportunity is not aligned with what matters most to you (your core values), let it pass. The opportunities that don’t make your soul sing, or that you can’t be excited about, just end up taking space where a better opportunity could be. Don’t settle for something fine, wait for something great!” Leanne Jacobs
Values are not esoteric, they are practical. Determining your values is one of the most important discussions you can have as an individual, family, business, or organization.
Values are not “touchy-feely” emotional commitments, though most people respond passionately when one of theirs is violated. Values are the heart and soul of everything you do.
Once your team begins to ask, “What’s important here or not important? Why do we do this and not that? Or, where does all the money go?” You can bet the answer is, someone’s values are being questioned and challenged.
Most of the conflicts in the world, whether it’s adults or children regardless of the venue, they are over values. The battle seems to be over a particular issue when really it’s a conflict over whose values are going to win. Remember, you can’t walk the talk until you know what talk (values) you want to walk.
Great leaders teach, model and hold team members accountable for the teams’ core values over performance every time, every day. Why? Because they know that agreement on core values creates synergy and teamwork. Great leaders know the seeds of a shared vision must be planted in the soil of core values or the mission ultimately fails.
Until there is passionate agreement on the organization’s core values, fulfillment of their mission and vision is in doubt. Energized pep talks about the mission are useless without synergy on what every team member feels about the value of the mission, not just the leaders.
In your next staff meeting ask every team member to list the core values and if they agree. If they don’t agree and model them on a daily basis, why are they still on your team?